tomorrow. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good evening. i'm marla tellez. it is the first day of spring, but definitely does not look like it outside. powerful winds and lots of rain causing all sorts of problems all across the bay area. from downed signs in san francisco to toppled trees. and thousands of people remain without power tonight. let's get right to meteorologist nick o'kelly f a look at the wild forecast. >> used to t t utohe the masigei like that a the storms movov roughthhe bay. t

here's a look at dabar doppler. as we seeee things settle down ju a bit. scat red showershocros t east bay and central cvalley. the flood watch for parts of the sacramento river delta and into the napa area, still looking at rivers and streams possibly getting up near the flood stage. most of the action has shifted down to our south and in a big way. highway 1, 101 down towards san luis obispo. gjungjutiet pndtied by that subtropical moisture. we're not completely done with this system. av h showers moving in from off shore, but bavieve it or not, marla, we're actually in the break between this system and the next storm sy,emst which will arrive here in not too long. we have lots to talk about and your main weather segment coming up in a few minutes. >> thank you, nick. >> here's a look at how many

people are without power because of the storm. pg a pgand e reporting 750 on the east bay and 650 in the south bay and in san francisco 150. pg&e does not have an estimate when power will be restored. people are watching the water levels there. the creek water is high, but experts say it doesn't look like it will overflow its banks. other north bay creeks peaked overnight and are now receding. it was the same story in southern california where the first day of spring brought heavy surf, strong winds and rains to the coastline and that resulted in flooded streets. in santa barbara county rsh officials released water from a dam to help avoid more flooding in that area. the national weather service issued winter storm warnings for much of southern california. heavy snow is causing headaches for those traveling in and out of the sierra mountains. two major highways linking

sacramento and lake tahoe have been closed off and on throughout the day because of the storm. interstate 80 over donner summit is open as of now and highway 88 over carson pass remains closed due to avalanche control. reported six feet of new snow in the last few days. and the snow is expected to keep coming down. the death toll from japan's earthquake and tsunami rose today to almost 8,500 people. another 13,000 are missing. the death toll is expected to climb as rescue workers discover more bodies. but at the same time, there are remarkable stories of survival. today, an 80-year-old woman and her 16-year-old grandson were rescude. the two were trapped in their kitchen and survived by eating the food that happened to be left in the refrigerator. meanwhile, the number 3 reactor at the crippled fukushima power

plant is stable again tonight after an unexpected rise in pressure this morning. and radiation from the plant is showing up in more food. the government still says, though, the amount of radiation in food and water is so small, it's not posing a health threat. it has been ten days since japan was rocked by that magnitude 9 earthquake and then the tsunami that followed and the crisis there continues to affect people around the world, including right here in our own backyard. nbc bay area kimberly terry joins us live from santa cruz now. kimberly? >> marla, santa cruz dad is trying to get his daughter back here after that earthquake and tsunami that struck japan which is where she is living right now with her mother. right now john tilmon has been using facebook. pretty much the only way he can communicate with his 10-year-old daughter who moved to tokyo permanently. before that she was splitting

her time between mom in japan and dad here. the situation in japan is getting worse. basic supplies like food and water are scarce. >> i want her to get back here. it's hard for me to work and stuff, but i got to get her back here. >> on their first day tilmon pushed his ex-wife out of the way of a drunk driver and he lost his leg. right now the main problem is cost. a plane ticket from tokyo to san jose's airport starts at about $1,000. so, until tilmon can get the money to get his daughter here, he will continue to use facebook to try to connect with her. and also tries to call her a few times during the day, but, of course, the time difference is somewhat of an issue. live in santa cruz, kimberly

terry, nbc bay area news. the scope of the disaster in japan is likely to color what is tsunami week across the states. a week ago the japanese tsunami flooded the santa cruz harbor, causing millions of dollars in damage. tomorrow the santa cruz county office of emergency services will sponsor a meeting to promote tsunami awareness and preparedness. long-time residents were stunned that harbor damage from japan's earthquake, especially after so many false alarms. >> interesting thing. i have been through three tsunami warnings. that was the third one and none of them amounted to anything and this one was quite amazing. watching all of the debris get pulled out of the end of the harbor and form that black whirlpool. i watched that from the second floor. >> tomorrow night's meeting is at 7:00 at the santa cruz police department. experts on geology and tsunamis will talk about the different types of tsunamises and the likelihood they'll strike the monterey bay.

san francisco intersection was shut down for hours overnight after a deadly hit and run. police say they began getting calls a little before 9:30 last night about a man lying in the street at the intersection of market and eighth streets. the man was pronounced dead on the scene. the intersection was closed until about 2:30 this morning. now, investigators are asking for the public's help in finding the driver who hit the man and then just took off. so far, there is no car or suspect description. next at 6:00 -- >> i'm having more and more people coming in, actually earlier and earlier each year. >> it may only be march, but people are already lining up for relief from those allergy symptoms. we'll show you why allergy sufferers may have more natural options this year. plus, we'll take you to the peninsula where hundreds of people lined up for a chanceem ve a san mateo boy's life. we're back in two minutes.

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good evening to you. we're looking at a live picture out towards san francisco. a mixture of sun and clouds. photographers take note. sunset 7:21 p.m. believe it or not, calm between storms. more forecast details coming up.

a burling game synagogue held a bone marrow drive to help save a san mateo boy's life. a rare condition that causes the bone marrow to stop making enough red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets for the body. potential donors visited the peninsula at temple shalom in hopes of being a positive match. >> why we're wait brooyce is getting supportive therapies to help his immune system fight back. he was just last week for a

treatment called atg and we won't find out for another month or two whether or not that is working to help fight his immune system. >> if you were not able to make it to that drive today, you can still help. just go to the national marrow donor website for details. the cold, the wet weather did not prevent many people from turning out at at&t park to help raise money for youth programs. today's stadium stampede event was put on by the good tidings foundation, which raises money for arts, athletics and educational programs for underserved bay area youths. >> so many cutbacks in cities now, especially in the rec departments, there's not a lot of activities or nice facilities for kids. we try to make sure we go in there and build the nicest facility we can. >> people either walked, jogged or ran two laps up and down the stadium's lower level stairs or along the concourse. that's a good workout.

afterwards everyone enjoyed lunch at at&t's clubhouse. next at 6:00, a birthday party one bay area girl will never forget. how a community came together for the girl who's battling a serious disease. taking a a l aookt the satellite picture. one storm just winding dow and we're already tracking the next one coming down yopl comfoete strecain com g yourpl .omuprecast cing up. .

spring allergies are hitting early and hitting hard. before you reach for that benadryl, one doctor says there are natural ways to reduce your symptoms without those nasty side effects.

nbc's renee chenault-fata explains. >> i'm ready to get benadryl now. >> reporter: cheryl harrington says her allergies are in full bloom, way earlier than last year. >> i'm having more and more people coming in earlier and earlier each year. >> reporter: blame it on mold, grass, tree and weed pollen and common medications work well, but aren't perfect. >> a lot of antihistamines that i used as a side effect have drowsiness. >> reporter: she is with the center of integrated medicine at jefferson. she said spring allergy sufferers have choices. a recent study finds taking butterbur relieves the symptoms of hayfever without drowsiness. >> it showed in comparison to the antihistamines that they used in the study was as effective, but without the side

effects so, i was like, this is a no brainer. >> reporter: she is also a fan of corsitine. >> it is in a lot of foods already. >> reporter: things like green tea, broccoli and onion. the herb stinging metal is another favorite but has fewer studies to support its effectiveness. she warns don't take any supplement without taking to your doctor first. supplements are not regulated by the fda. >> there is a wide range of herbal remedies and as we know from some studies don't have all of the things in it. >> reporter: for itchy eyes they recommend optique 1 and changing your diet will help. omega 3s and veggies will help and go easy on dairy, which increases mucus. meanwhile, peter is taking his sniffing and sneezing in stride. >> couple itchy noses, i guess, better than wearing a coat and being in snow all the time. moving on now to something we can all smile about.

a big 15th birthday party today in the south bay for a very special young lady. but it was no ordinary birthday party. and it couldn't have happened without the help of a generous community. diana lopez has musculardystrophy. her arms and legs are paralyzed leaving her in a wheelchair. still, she marked her special day in grand style and it would not have happened from the residents. lopez's home for the past few years. it is a party she will always remember. >> kind of a big day, huh? >> yes. very excited. >> i bet. did you expect to have this many people here? >> no, i did not expect this many people here. >> and all the cakes and all the food and the musicians and the whole deal. >> i did not expect that at all. >> a spiritual right of passage

for young lutinas entering womanhood. flowers and a banquet for dozens of guests were donated by volunteers. overall, you have to say a great day for diana. this latest winter storm has dumped a lot of snow in the sierra this weekend. today is the first day of spring, but lake tahoe ski resorts are in full winter mode. more snow has been falling all day and more is expected during the next several days. at least four feet of new snow has fallen on tahoe ski resorts in the last three days. nbc bay area nick has the latest on the snow and the rain and how much more are we going to get? >> i know, i was going to say that's probably sierra cement, but one little clip in that video they're making a snowball and kind of fell apart. hey, maybe a little powdery up there, as well. yes, we will see more snow and more rain for the bay area. on top of totals that are pretty

impressive. kentfield just under 1.5 with this latest storm system and just 1.5 around san rafael and san francisco just under an inch and most valley locations turned in rainfall locations between one and two inches. almond and valley 1.9 and our friends at sunnyvale coming in with rainfall totals of 2.02 inches. still seeing some showers on the doppler radar system. the bulk of the moisture is shifting to the east and to the south.s we'll continue to see the showers as we zoom out. there's still some more instability offshore there and may be just enough punch with these showers to hear the rumble of thunder and possibly a little small hail. small chance, but a chance, nonetheless. as we take a look at our headlines for the next couple days, we will get a little bit of a break. it will start by mid-day tomorrow into most of tuesday before the next storm moves on through. here's the big picture for us. and the storm door is wide open. you can see this broad area of

low pressure, this big trough dominates the eastern pacific and when they're this big, they move really, really slowly so a series of systems rotating through this flow as we go through the next five toh. seve days. spring began at 4:21 local. breaks down the time for us, showers tomorrow morning for the early drive. tomorrow afternoon into probably the first half of tuesday, mainly dry for that next round of rain moves on through. here's your forecast for tonight. cloud cover is going to hold temperatures up and mainly mid-40s. again, showers, couple isolated thunderstorms and not out of the question that we see some small hail with some of these isolated storms. let's take you to tomorrow's forecast. we're not going to go very far, again. get used to these temperatures. mid-50s when we should be in the low, some places mid-60s. cooler than average for the next

several days and 55 san mateo and 56 redwood city and head over to the east bay. the deltas still have that flood advisory in effect for the rio vista area. looking at 54 santa rosa. now, here's a look at the extended forecast. here's what is of concern to us with these storms. ground is already saturated. so, the next round of rain and wind will probably bring down a few more trees maybe some power outages, as well, into wednesday and thursday, as well. >> april showers bring may flowers, what do march showers bring? >> lots and lots of rain and downed power lines. >> thank you, nick.

>> you're a creep, aren't you? >> no, i just noticed the book. "limitless" took the top spot earning $19 million in the opening weekend. bradley cooper and robert den r

ni niro. "rango" came in second place with $15 million. coming in at third, "battle los angeles" which dropped from the top spot last weekend. it raked in $14 million. lawrence scott joins us now to look at sports and giants and a's getting together. >> getting together. their final game in arizona this spring and meet up yet again soon in another kind of exhibition. that back in the bay area, but, today, lots of defensive help. call it madness in the middle of the night. most of us were tucked away asleep in the early morning hours. more thrillers in the ncaa tournament. that and more coming up next in sports.

good evening. both the giants and the as going split squad today. this is the last time they'll get together in arizona. they'll play a few more exhibition games against each other at the end of the month, but back here in the bay area, that's coming in a bit. defense helping out madison bum gardner today. two innings where four runs were scored by the a's. aubrey huff in this game, he had two hits and three runs batted in and despite a late four-run surge by the scgiants, oakland s too far out in front. they win it 6-4. giants at mesa. taking on the cubs. randy wells retiring 18 straight at one point and burris going down swinging here. it went to extra innings where wellington castillo brought home the winning run. 3 3-2. chicago takes this one in ten.

tomorrow, the giants back to full squad while hosting the rockies and oakland's other game, brian fuentes burned for three runs in the ninth and the a's lose 4-2 to the diamondbacks. spring training coverage continues on comcast sportsnet. world champion giants along with the a's. for spring training coverage sportsnet central. the sweet 16 is almost set in the ncaa tournament. a couple thrillers we'll show you in a moment, they went down today. but, first, while you were sleeping. the cit against hawaii and honolulu and they rally late. two buckets with time running down. the dons take the lead. hawaii had a chance to regroup, they're down just one and they move the ball down the court. yet, in the paint, they lose the handle, the dons and their head coach rex walters moving on with a 77-74 road win.

more great games in the ncaa tournament today. duke gets a real test from an eighth seed, michigan. the wolverines with a chance to tie it in the final seconds. duke moves on. one less pac ten team at the party. washington fell in a close-fought game against north carolina. george mason handing back the slipper today after getting bombed by ohio state. another crazy ending with texas leading arizona by two. late the horns can't inbound the ball and five seconds pass which means wildcats ball and they feed williams to the bucket. he goes to the line and gives arizona the one-point lead. on the other end texas has one last chance and no love for the longhorns. arizona the lone pac 10 team in the tournament. they play duke next thursday in anaheim. the pga tour rolling through florida. a couple more events before the masters early next month. the final round of the transition championship.

no snake in the grass, just this one in the water. palm harbor. garry woodland had just won par on the back nine. he needed it. the ten-foot putt on 18 finishing for a 4 under 67. simpson had a chance to tie things and woodland gets his first pga career tour win and a bid to the masters. nascar at bristol this weekend. 26th lap to go and it's a dog fight with busch, jimmie johnson and edwards neck and neck. but kyle he takes the win, sweeps the weekend. he owns this track. five career wins at bristol. kyle's brother, kurt, finished seventh as the overall points lead. kurt's the only driver in the first four races of this season to finish each of them in the top ten. the way the points are being done right now, that's helpful. top ten finishes. brother getting the win. oh, brother. fireworks. >> all right, thank you so much, lawrence. thank you for choosing the

bay area at 6:00. see you back here tonight at 11:00. have a great night, everybody.